Family Reunion
Gathering together Saturday night, there was a large assembly at the Barnum estate to celebrate some distant cousins visiting from the home country. Relations had been nearly estranged since the death of Richard's cousin, but the American branch of the family was determined to regain good graces with their titled kin.
Ignoring all the pomp and show, Bryce was simply trying to deal with the reception he was presented with from so many businessmen and wealthy bachelorettes. Amongst their numbers, he was courted either for his business connections, or his allure as a young, wealthy, and handsome bachelor.
Managing a getaway, he used Jonathon as a break to escape the clutches of the crowd. "Has everyone made it safely?" He asked after his friends.
Amused by his plight, Jonathon didn't tease for fear of being introduced to the crowd himself. "They have all arrived within the last few hours. As you were busy with preparations and your duties, I saw to it that they were settled into the other rooms next to yours." Jonathon nodded towards where Chuck and Sarah were just entering the ballroom.
Observing them, Bryce noticed that Sarah appeared to be surprised at the lavish environment. As they approached, he could tell they were laughing about something. "What is so funny?"
"We were just talking about how you invited us to a party where we don't know anyone," Chuck said while Sarah added. "I was also noting that this explains why you don't tend to be affected by extravagant parties on assignments."
"Unless he is affected enough to run away," Jonathon laughed. "I don't think I have ever seen him hang around for an entire party."
"And this comes from the guy who was always happy to retreat upstairs with me for some real fun, like playing video games," Bryce returned the jab.
Retaining his smile, Jonathon couldn't help but shrug. "What kid would want to hang around a bunch of adults trying to show off to each other while being stuck in a tux when they could put on pajamas to play video games upstairs?"
Agreeing, Chuck reminisced about his visits to the estate. Digressing off into the tangent of ways they could entertain themselves, the boys conversed until Sarah interrupted with an admonishment for their proposed behavior.
Laughing, Bryce reassured her that they would behave, but were simply theorizing in an effort to entertain themselves. Breaking up the conversation, they provided further reassurance by changing the subject.
"Why don't you take Sarah for a dance? You can show this humdrum bunch how to do a real dance." Bryce turned the focus onto Chuck and gave his acceptance to their relationship publicly as his first real acknowledgment of it to both of them.
Turning his focus onto his date, Chuck was no longer quite so interested in the nerdy talk when he had such a lovely lady in red standing next to him. Moving out onto the floor, they shifted to dance to a slow tune.
"You are completely over her I see. Perhaps that has something to do with another Sara?" Jonathon asked which made Bryce jump.
"Sara broke up with me, so it doesn't matter what my feelings are," Bryce tried to dodge admitting his continued interest in her. Instead, he turned Jonathon's focus back to making arrangements for his business. "Are you going to be back in DC tomorrow?"
"Yes, I have some work to do. Are you going to be in the city?" Jonathon tried to figure out what Bryce had in mind.
Seeing the crowd looking for him again, Bryce tried to take advantage of his last opportunity before they descended on him. "I need to begin the process of taking my life back. Would it work to meet at my apartment after lunch?"
"Don't be late," Jonathon managed before the group pushed in for Bryce's attention and shifted him off to the side.
Meandering around the room, Jonathon really had no one to talk to. Bryce was crowded by his admirers, Chuck was dancing with his girlfriend, and there wasn't anyone else he could easily socialize with beyond the basic chit-chat normal to such events. Then he noticed another awkward couple standing around and admiring the general atmosphere. Smiling as he made his approach, he was glad to see that the Burkes were finding something to keep themselves occupied. "Admiring the general splendor I see."
"Jonathon," Peter greeted him.
"It is beautiful. I can see why Bryce would feel comfortable at parties with his undercover persona," Elizabeth made the misconception.
Smiling at their puzzled faces, Jonathon corrected her. "Bryce can be a good charmer of the party if he wants to be, but he prefers to hang out with real friends in an intimate environment. He may have seemed comfortable when you observed him in New York, but he was either performing undercover or enjoying being with you and Peter."
The three of them turned to watch the man they were discussing. As they did, they noticed that his face glanced towards the doors, started to look away, and then looked back with an intense focus.
Leaning around a decoration to see what had caught his attention, they all smiled to see that Sara had entered in a trailing black dress making her stand out like royalty. She was beautiful with her hair twisted up, simple but glittering jewelry, and the elegance of her gown.
While they continue to watch, they could see that she was looking through the crowd for someone. When her eyes found Bryce encumbered by a crowd, with several lovely young ladies hanging on his arms, she turned her face away slightly downcast. She wasn't happy to see him with the attention of other women and feared she might have lost him.
Before they could move to do anything, the trio watched as a gentleman approached her. Based on his body language, the man complimented her and asked her to dance.
"Ian Macrae," Jonathon told them who the man was. "He is usually compared to being the Mr. Darcy of this social circle. Bryce told me he spent the last event with Sara. It looks like he is hoping to do so again."
When Bryce was drug onto the dance floor by the prettiest female of the crowd around him, Sara agreed to dance with Macrae. Taking his hand as he led her to the dance floor, she took one last glance towards Bryce, but wouldn't have been able to see him through the crowd.
Peter liked what he was reading in her body language. It spoke of her continued feelings for Bryce and the chance their relationship could also be repaired. Looking towards Bryce, he saw his face fall as he reacted to Sara accepting Macrae's hand for the dance. He might have been dancing, but she wasn't his chosen partner. "If they don't find a way to talk, I think we might need to intervene to give them a chance."
"What do you have in mind?" Elizabeth asked.
Smiling, Peter was glad to have an idea strike. "Maybe you could steal Bryce away for a dance while I get Sara, and then we could switch partners?"
"Are you admitting a willingness to dance?" Elizabeth teased.
Kissing her, Peter knew she appreciated his efforts. "Bryce is my friend, and after everything, I just want him to have a chance to experience the happiness we have."
Returning the kiss, Elizabeth agreed, "Good answer."
After a few dances had past and the two were still being onset by various members of the crowd, the Burkes decided to put their plan into action. Jonathon provided the ladies with another single man to pay attention to, which was a personal sacrifice. Peter managed to get through to Sara, while Elizabeth asked Bryce if he had time to give a friend a dance.
Relieved, Sara and Bryce were both willing to accept the offer. It was a safe dance with friends and comfort only a few could provide. When the dance finished, they both smiled shyly as they realized what the Burkes were up too.
"Thanks," Bryce said as he passed Peter Elizabeth's hand and accepted Sara's from Peter.
Moving into the ready position for a dance to match the music, Bryce whirled Sara off into a romantic waltz while Peter wrapped his arms around his wife and lost himself in his own prize.
As they slowly spun around the room, Sara tried to find a way to open the conversation and broach the topic that she wanted to discuss. Floundering, she decided to start talking and see where she could take it from there. "I'm so glad you are okay. The last time I saw you, you were still unconscious in the coma."
Seeing the concern in her expression and hearing the sorrow in her voice, Bryce knew she was worried about him. Feeling hopeful, he tried to cautiously keep the conversation going. He was curious to see where it went. "We took precautions knowing an attack was inevitable, but it doesn't appear to have been enough. I'm sorry to put you through that."
"You don't owe me an apology. I'm the one who behaved poorly… what I said should be unforgivable." Then she shushed him when he tried to defend her. "Don't defend what I did Bryce. When I said you could only feel greed for the next treasure, and didn't know anything about what it meant to love or care, I degraded you to a person even lower than the character you were playing. There wasn't anything right, or accurate, to what I said about you, even looking at you through Caffrey lenses."
Relieved to hear she wasn't angry with him, Bryce was glad for what she was saying. "You were angry I might have valued blood money more highly than my relationship with you. Sure, some of what you said was an overreaction, but that is normal when someone else hurts you. I wish I could have told you, and I'm sorry I hurt you so badly." He lifted her face so he could see her better. Wiping the tears from her eyes, he shifted her into his shoulder with a new song so that he was holding her close.
Burying her face into his shoulder, Sara was glad to have Bryce's arms wrapped around her and his comforting voice rumbling in her ears. He hadn't specifically said it, neither had she, but their apologies showed they still cared for each other. Turning her face for him to hear her, but so that she couldn't see if he wanted to reject her offer, she asked. "Can I take my words back?"
"I can't say I didn't hear them, but you are forgiven. You were as soon as they were said," he extended his forgiveness.
Trying really hard not to cry, she continued. "Why was ever so foolish as to let you go?"
Kissing her hair, he held her closer. "I never really left." Then he cautiously offered what she had been hoping for. "What would you think, if I were to call and pick you up for dinner on Monday?"
Stepping back slightly, she moved to see his face. "I don't think you should stand me up."
Pleased, he smiled at her, "I wouldn't dream of it." Then they spiraled through to the end of the dance before she left to freshen up. Her tears had smeared her makeup a little bit.
While she was otherwise occupied, Bryce retreated to the waterfront outside. He wanted to avoid the crowd reclaiming him, but also to relieve the ache beating through his head. It had made its presence known without her to distract him.
Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Bryce was glad Peter had found him. He was another person he needed to apologize to. "I'm glad Chuck was able to answer your questions for why I was gone so suddenly. It was expected enough that I should have warned you when you were there the night before."
"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you are alright." Then Peter shuffled his feet awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Bryce. Although I thought I was doing the right thing by choosing to error on the side of caution, I shouldn't have treated you the way I did. Partners are supposed to trust each other and be careful with any questionable evidence until they can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt the guilt of the other. You reminded me of this, and I listened enough to cool down, but I never held to it when I was angrily certain of the evidence over trusting you. If you chose not to work with us, I wouldn't blame you, but I'm hoping you will forgive me enough to keep in touch." He was hurt at the idea of losing his friend and favorite working partner.
Turning to hug Peter, Bryce surprised him as Peter was usually the hugger of the two. "I never held it against you, Peter. My character was supposed to be an untrustworthy criminal, so you reacted the way I wanted you to. It was safer for you to push me away, and I'm glad you weren't hurt through the attack. That scared me to see you facing the guns unarmed."
Wrapping his arms back around Bryce, Peter held him close, relieved to know his friend was alright. "Not as much as it scared me to watch you die, or in learning that you were in a coma with a chance you wouldn't wake up. Don't you ever do that again!" He shuddered at the memory.
"That is my intention. Dying is so overrated," Bryce quipped.
Laughing as he stepped back, Peter was glad Bryce could help him deal with it. "Good, bedside vigils are too."
"There you two are," Elizabeth approached. "Are you ready to call it a night Peter?" She yawned showing her fatigue.
"Yeah, it's been a long day." Finishing his conversation with Bryce, Peter gently threatened, "Don't forget to keep in touch whatever your decision is, Bryce. I now know who you are, and some of the agents from your field, which would make it easier to find you if you don't." He patted Bryce on the shoulder as he laughed softly.
"I don't doubt it, but now I'm tempted to test your skills for the fun of it," Bryce teased back.
Hugging Bryce and kissing his cheek, Elizabeth gave him a disapproving look. "I like to have my husband's attention, so please don't take him on another wild goose chase." Then she bid him goodnight as she took her husband off to bed.
Amused as he turned to reflect on the water, Bryce was glad the team seemed to be receptive to his return. Although he hadn't seen the rest of them, Peter's lead would mean an ultimate acceptance.
Hearing a sound behind him, he turned to see Sara standing in the glow of the lights from the mansion. Preferring to keep her to himself, Bryce invited her for a stroll through the moonlit gardens to the sound of the gentle waves lapping on the shore.
It was the perfect ending to his evening. Peter and Elizabeth were heading to bed where they would sleep peacefully down the hall, Chuck was still spinning Sarah elegantly around the dance floor, Jonathon was entertaining a couple of guests, and he had Sara to himself for a romantic dance under the moonlight by the reflective pool. What could possibly be better?
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Separation Anxiety: II
Miniature: II
